Tobacco rack



v March '5, 1929. N. w; HURST TOBACCO RACK 2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed March 2 1923 34mm mid b March 5, 1929.

N. W. HUREST TOBACCO RACK Filed March 29, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 l lllllll llllllllill Q Fatented Mar. 5, 1929 'rf's NEEDHAM w. BURST, or moon, GEORGIA-7.

TOBACCO Mex.

Application filed Marches, 1928. Serial nmzes ai.

This invention relates to a rack for holding leaf tobacco while being cured, one of the objects being to providea s1mple, compact and efiicient device by which stripped leaves can be securely gripped and support ed at a considerable saving of time and labor as compared with the old methods of mounting the leaves on strings and sticks.

With the foregoing and other objects in View which willappear as the description proceeds the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts and in'the Figure 2 is a top plan View of the rack,

the gripping bars being shown open.

Figure 3 1s a similar view showing thegripping bars closed. Figure 4: is a section on line 44, Figure 3. Referring to the-figures by'characters of reference 1 designates a pair of parallel connecting bars formed preferably of wood.

Attached to these bars near one end is an end gripping bar 2 the inner side of which is formed with a gripping surface 3 following an ogee curve from top to bottom as shown particularly in Figures 1 and 4. The connecting bars 1 are provided with additional gripping bars 4 extending transversely thereof but shorter than the bar 2, all of these gripping bars being parallel and all of them being provided at corresponding sides with gripping surfaces shaped to form ogee curves as show-n.-

Another pair of connecting bars 5 is located between the bars 1, these bars 5 slidably engaging the inner sides of the bars 1. An end gripping bar or slat 6 is fastened to the bars 5 near one end and the inner longitudinal edge of the gripping bar or slat 5 is shaped to provide an ogee curve as shown at 7 which overhangs and is adapted to cooperate with the corresponding gripping movement away from each other.

bar or slat 4 adjacent thereto. Additional shorter gripping bars vor slats 8'are attached to the connecting bars 5 and are also formed with overhanging gripping edges forming ogee curves and cooperating with the gripping edges of the adjacent bars 4; and 3.

Secured to one of the bars 8 is ablock 9' having a longitudinal tongue 10 extending from one side portion thereof. 7 block 11 is secured to one of the bars or slats 4'and has a longitudinal tongue 12 extending from one side portion thereof. The "two Another tongues 10 and 12 are adapted to extend side by side and a lever 13 is pivotally connected at 14: and 15 to the respective tongues. Loose connections are provided 'at'the pivots 14 and 15 so that thelever'will have a certain amount of play to compensate for the variations between the swingingmovement of the lever and the right line movement of the tongues. Furthermore the lever is free to swing slightly toward and from the gripping bars or slats. I

The bars 1 and 5 at one side of the rack are provided with obliquely disposed grooves 16 adapted to-aline when the gripping bars are moved apart. as shown in Figure 2.

While the grooves 16 are thus aline'd they arepositioned to receive the lever13 as.

shown in said Figure 2. Thus the bars willbe held spaced apart. 'Another pair of obliquely disposed grooves 17 is provided in these bars 1' and 5 but are only adapted to aline when the gripping bars or slats are pressed toward each other. At that time the grooves 17 are located where the lever 13 can be seated therein as shown'in Figure 3. Thus the bars or slats 4 and 8 will beheld against For the purpose of securing the lever 13 in the grooves 17 a button 18 may be pivotally 'mounted on the bar 5 so as to lap a flange 19 formed on the lever. This arrangement of the parts has been shown in Figure 3.

In using this rack the same is placed on end with the bars 5 resting on the ground or floor and the rack supported in an inclined position with the gripping bars or'slats spaced apart, as shown in Figure ,3. After thetobacco leaves have been stripped from the stalks they are laid with their, stems between the gripping bars or slats as shown in Figure 1. After thespaces between these bars or slats havebeen filled, the lever 13, which has been seated in the groove's.16,.is

shifted out of said grooves and then pulled to its other extreme positionso as to become seated'in the grooves 17 The operation heretofore described will result in the tongues 10 and 12 being drawn toward each other and the gripping bars or slats will come against and tightly engage the stems therebetween Lever 13'can then be secured by means of the button 18. Supporting ropes can then be attached to the projecting ends of the'bars l and 5 and the rack, with the leaves suspended therefrom as shown in Figure l, can be elevated so that ftheprojecting ends of the bars or and can be made cheaply. It is durable and easily handled.

What is claimed is: I

1 .v A; tobacco rack including parallel gripping bars'jharranged in pairs, the, bars of each pair having gripping edges adapted to overlap, and means for simultaneously shifting the bars of the respectivepairs to move them into or away from gripping positions;

. A tobacco rack including parallel cone "necting bars arranged-in pairs, tranverse 4b gr pping bars arranged in palrs, one barof each pair, being attached to one pair of connecting bars and the other bar of each pair being attached to the other pair of con-, necting ars, said gripping bars having h gripping edges adapted to overlap, and

means for simultaneously shifting the gripping bars toward or from each other.

3? A. tobacco rack including parallel connecting bars arranged in pairs, parallel 1 ri in r bars ar'ra'n ed in airs one ri pmg bar of each pair being attached to one pair of connecting bars and the other gripping bar of each pair being attached to the other pair of connecting bars, said gripping bar a ng gr pp ng ge adap e o rlap, a actua ng leve onn ctions between said lever and the respective bars of the pairs, and means carried by one of the. c nn ngbars of ea lrpa for engagement by the l v t old s d ba ag i st r lat e mo em n wh the lev r is in' ithe of two extreme positions.

A toba co r k n uding-par lel,co

necting bars, arranged in pairs para11e1 t ansve s y xt n g g ipping ar nged in pai s, n lf f ac he be ng fastened to one pairof connectingbars'and the other gripping bar of each'pairbeing connected 'to the other pair of connecting bars, all of the gripping bars having grip-I ping edges adapted to overlap, a a block movable one gripping bar of eachpair, another block movable with the other gripping .bar of each pair, an actuating lever pivotally connected to the two blocks, there being grooves within one of the connecting bars of each. pair, certain of said grooves being arranged to receive the lever when;

the gripping bars are moved apart maximum distances and the other grooves being adapted to receive the lever when the gripping bars afre moved toward each other to gripping positions, and means on one of the connecting bars for hold ng the last. named grooves.

In testimony that I claim the .lloregoingv a y I h ereto afiixe my igna:

ture, 7

- NEEDHA W-. HURST.

lever in the 

